Barcelona are reportedly interested in Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram and could offer Manchester United Mikayil Faye in a swap deal for him.
Thuram, 23, is considered one of the best young players in Ligue 1 and was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool last summer.
Jurgen Klopp ultimately decided to bring in other targets as he rebuilt his midfield, signing Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
Thuram remains highly regarded by Liverpool recruitment bosses but new reports suggest Barcelona are the favorites to sign him this summer.
The defensive midfielder has made 20 league appearances for Nice this season and his performances and potential have attracted the attention of clubs across Europe.
According to a Spanish media SPORT, Barcelona will “look to sign” Thuram this summer and will have “an asset on hand” in Faye, which they could use in a swap deal.
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Nice are expected to demand around €35 million for Thuram, according to the report, which is a problem for Barcelona due to their ongoing financial problems.
It is likely that the Catalans will have to get creative with the deals they make throughout the summer window and Faye could be the one used in the negotiations.
Barca to swap Man Utd target for midfielder in Liverpool eyes
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Man Utd have identified Faye as a summer target as they believe the central defender has the potential to play at the highest level.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to make Old Trafford the best place to develop promising prospects and the 19-year-old certainly fits into that category.
Men Utd have made signing a new central defender one of their priorities and could sign several this summer.
This is due to uncertainty surrounding the futures of Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.
Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite, Lille’s Leny Yoro and Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo are three A-list stars on Ratcliffe’s shortlist.
Faye would be more of a long-term prospect and wouldn’t necessarily slot straight into the Red Devil’s first team, but could provide cover at multiple positions.
He is a left-footed central defender, but is also adept at playing at left back. Amid Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia’s injury problems this season, the left-back position has proven problematic for Erik ten Hag of late.
Faye has been named on the Barcelona bench on several occasions this season and has already made his first appearance for Senegal – scoring a fantastic goal on his debut.
Man Utd would appear to be set to miss out on Faye, however, given Barca are set to use him in a part-exchange bid for Thuram in the coming months.
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